Pine Grove Park shelter has a new roof

The cedar shakes on the Pine Grove Park shelter were recently removed and replaced — about 864 square feet. In addition, 240 feet of shiplap decking was replaced, as were 5-inch log rafters inside the building. Doug Ackerman Construction of Royalton, the company which did the replacement, also added ice and water sheeting from the edges to the top of the roof to protect it in the future.

The shelter at the Pine Grove Park next to the zoo in Little Falls, has a new roof, with brand new cedar shake shingles, new flashing and some new rafters.

The shelter, built in the 1930s, is rented out for family gatherings, meetings and more. It features a kitchen area with a refrigerator. Bathrooms and playground facilities are available on the site as well.

Because cedar shakes are used on the roof, and degenerate naturally over time, the building needs a new roof about every 15 – 20 years, said Little Falls City Public Works Director Jerry Lochner.

Doug Ackerman Construction in Royalton replaced the roof on the building, having submitted the low bid of $14,618 for the job.

However, a little more work was necessary than originally thought, because more rotting had occurred underneath.

Pictured are the old cedar shingles showing a lot of wear and moss growth.

Originally, it was estimated 224 square feet of cedar shakes would have to be removed, but it turned out to be 864, bid at $2 a square foot.

Additionally, instead of 160 feet of shiplap decking, 240 feet were used and an extra 9 feet of 5-inch log rafters were replaced.

The additional work came to an added cost of $1,476, which the Council approved for payment.

The next lowest bid to Ackerman’s was more than $19,000, so even with the added expense, the $16,094 total was still under the second lowest bidder.

Mayor Cathy VanRisseghem said the roof looked “really nice.”

“I am so happy to see that done and I think a lot of people are — never really know what’s under all that shingling until you get under there,” she said.

Lochner said the company put ice and water sheeting all the way up to the top of the roof, not just on the edges, to protect it in the future. “That’s the way he bid it, and that the way he did it,” Lochner said.

He said that sheeting keeps the water from getting through to the plywood, preventing mold.

The cost to rent the shelter is $100 per day for those who are not members of the Pine Grove Zoo, and $90 per day for those who are.